Bring progress abolishing the death penalty to states which allow capital punishment.
Residents of states which do not prohibit the death penalty have an opportunity to urge its abolition in that state. The following 27 states still have some form of the death penalty: Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Fla., Ga., Idaho, Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Ore., Pa., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Texas, Utah, and Wyo.
If you live in one of these states, reach out to your governor urging no more state executions.
In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled federal and state penalty practices violated Eighth Amendment constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. That decision reflected long-standing concerns about the historically arbitrary and discriminatory use of the death penalty, including persistent racial disparities that have disproportionately affected Black Americans. This decision was overturned in 1976, but for a moment, capital punishment was outlawed in the U.S.
Opposition to the death penalty and support for its abolition is growing across the country with public support at its lowest level in over 50 years. Since the death penalty’s reinstatement, 14 states have abolished capital punishment either through state legislation or state supreme court decisions. New death sentences are at historically low levels, with research showing juries are less likely to select the death penalty. Governors of Calif., Pa., Ore., and Ohio, and recently Tenn. – where the death penalty remains on the books – have placed a temporary hold on executions.
The ELCA social statement The Death Penalty reads: “The practice of the death penalty undermines any possible moral message we might want to ‘send.’ It is not fair and fails to make society better or safer. The message conveyed by an execution, reflected in the attention it receives from the public, is one of brutality and violence” (p. 4).
Tremendous progress has been made across the U.S. toward abolishing the death penalty. However, a ban on the federal use of the death penalty does not prohibit individual states from using capital punishment. The momentum is with states to halt its use.
If you reside in one of the 27 states where the death penalty is still utilized, urge your governor to commute the sentences for those on death row to life in prison, to place a moratorium on capital punishment during their tenure and work toward abolishing the death penalty in their state. Customize the action alert with your own words.
Note: only residents of the listed states are able to access this Action Alert. Thank you for your advocacy.
[Posted: 10/08/2026]
